Improvement in railway switches



' EDW AQTRAPP.

V y@ l l C i! 9 f uw' A g b ii .-.f/

2'/ l l F s V//l/l//Aw' ITED STATES EDWARD A. TRAPP, OF SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA.

IMPROVEMENT IN RAILWAY SWITCHES.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 121,824, dated December 12, 1871.

To all whom t may concern:

Be it known that I, EDWARD A. TRAPP, of San Francisco, county of San Francisco, State of California, have invented Improvements in Operating Railroad Switches and Signals; and I do hereby declare the following description and accompanying drawing are suflicient to enable any person skilled in the art or science to which it most nearly appertains to make and use my said invention or improvement without further invention or experiment.

My invention relates to improvements in apparatus for throwing the switch-rails of a railroad switch to any desired point by the locomotive or engine as it passes along the track previous to its arriving at the switch or after passing it, and at the same time operating a signal, which indicates the position of the switch or throw-rails; and is an improvement upon Letters Patent N o. 119,672, which were granted to me on the 3d day of October, 1871. My present device relates only to that part of the apparatus which is located at a distance from the switch along the track, and which, in connection with a mechanism on the locomotive or car, is employed for operatin g the wormgear and throwlever below the switch.

In order to more fully illustrate and describe my invention, reference is had to the accompanying drawing forming a part of this specifica tion, in which- Figure 1 is a side view with a section of part of the device. Fig. 2 is a plan view.

A represents a shaft, which is placed in a transverse channel or excavation below the track B B, at the desired distance from the switch. This shaft extends a short dista-nce upon each side of the track, and its opposite ends bear in boxes c, which are conveniently fixed for the purpose. Just outside of the rails B a pulley, d, is fixed upon the shaft A, to which a wire-rope or other cord, e, is secured in the manner here inafter described for operating the worm-wheel and lever beneath the switch. Outside of the pulleys el an arm, j', is lixed upon the shaft at each end, one of which points toward the switch, while the one on the opposite end points in an opposite direction. Gr G are inclined levers, which are arranged in pairs upon each side of the track and in line with it. Each one of these levers consists of a casting which is provided with a long and a short arm at right angles to each other. The extremity of the long arm is provided with a pin or lug, i, upon each side, which serves with the boxes j as journals, about which the levers Gr can move when the opposite end is raised or depressed, and which is channeled horizontally in the manner of constructing a slide. The extremity of the short arm of the lever is secured by a rivet or bolt to the extremity of one of the arms j'. As before mentioned, two of these levers are employed at each side of the track, being arranged so that the end of the short arm of both will be attached to the end of the same arm j'. By this means an inclined plane will be presented in both directions and upon both sides of the track. The wire-rope or other cord e is attached to one of the pulleys d and passes once around it. Thence it passes forward to and around the wheel which operates the worm-gear and lever under the throw-rails. It is then carried back upon the opposite side of the track to the opposite pulley d, around which it is wound in an opposite direction to that in which it was wound around the rst pulley, thus causing it to travel in reverse directions, according to the revolution of the shaft A and pulleys B. In order to avoid any trouble from the expansion and contraction of the rope e spiral o1' other springs t can be inserted at some convenient point in its length. The locomotive or car K is provided with a short shaft, l, upon each side, which turns in a box on the under side of the Iioor or platform. To the outer end of this shaft a downward-projecting arm, m, is fixed, and a friction-roller, n, is placed at its lower end. A lever, O, is secured to the inner end of the shaft l, and rises up through a slot in the carlioor, by which the lever O can be adjusted as desired. ln order to more readily set the leverarm m to the desired position a rackplate, p, is employed, in the edges of which two or more depressions are made, according to the number of throws the switch is capable of making, and into which the lever-handle can be set as required to operate the switch.

As the locomotive approaches the switch the lever O upon each side is set by the engineer or other person whose duty it may be, so as to give the proper throw. The friction-roller n of the lever-arm m will then strike the inclined lever G, and, by depressing the proper one, wind the rope e upon 11111 pulleys 111111 s111 the swi11'l1. 11s 1111ove 111 s1rl1111l. After pussiug 1111 swi11l1 11111 s111111x 111111111111111 1'1111 111A 1'11p1^11111l 11111111 levers 1111 switch in 1111.1Y 1111si1'1111 position.

Having' thus 1l11s1ril11111 111'\Y invention, w11111 I desire 111 s1111u1 11.1' Letters 11111111 is- 1. The s111111 A with its pulleys 1I 111111 111-111s j', 111 001111111111111111 with 1111x 111111111111111' le\'11-s(, s11l1 st1111ti11115Y 11s 111111 1'111' 1111l purposes 11bo\'e 111- scribed.

2. The 111011111111 levers G, consisting` 111' 11 long 111111 11 short 111111 111 right angles with each other,

; suhstuutiully 11s 111111 1'01' the purpose Iabove des11i111111. 111e 11111111' si111l 111l 1111 switch, so 11s 111 11111v11 1111x 1 SS. 111 eo111l1i1111ti11n with the levers G provided with pi11s1', the box j, constructed iu the manner 111111 for 1111l purpose specified.

111 witness wl1ereo1l l have hereunto set my 11111111 111111 se111.

EDWARD A. TRAPP.

Witnesses:

l. CAHILL, THOMAS STUTTERD. 

